


Wax Nostalgic

by shatteredcrystalwings



Series: Hiding Face and Mind [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Is it a coffee shop au if the character works at a coffee shop in canon?, Light Angst, M/M, POV Alternating, Slow Burn, communication issues, discussion of past relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 15:10:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11210655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shatteredcrystalwings/pseuds/shatteredcrystalwings
Summary: Akira is talked into joining Ryuji to a tattoo parlor as moral support and finds he's more interested in the artist than the art.





	Wax Nostalgic

**Author's Note:**

> There's that one scene during the 7th Palace where Yusuke is asked to design a tattoo and of course my immediate response was "I need to write a tattoo artist au." This was supposed to be only maybe 3k words. It did not end up as only 3k words. 
> 
> A lot is kept the same as or similar to canon in regard to characters' situations, however this is set in a world where Personas and Shadows aren't a thing. As well, for the purpose of having Yusuke be old enough to be a tattoo artist, this is set a few years later than the game with the characters all being around 20. 
> 
> Slight spoiler warning for Yusuke's and Akechi's Confidants.

Ryuji had been Akira’s best friend since the first day he’s transferred in his second year of high school. They had been through thick and thin together, loved each other like brothers, had shared a toothbrush in a few dire situations. But there were times when Akira wasn’t so eager to go along with Ryuji’s plans.

“Please, man? You don’t even have to say anything, I’m just askin’ you be there.” Ryuji was slumped over the counter in the small cafe, an empty plate that had formerly held curry and a half finished cup that was more cream than coffee next to him. “I’ve been saving up money for _months_ and Ann recommended this place. Said there’s some _brilliant_ artist there.” There was a definite tone of sarcasm on the “brilliant”, though Akira knew he trusted Ann’s judgement about this sort of thing.

“You know I don’t like needles. Plus, aren’t there better things you should be spending your money on?” Akira said over the sounds of the dishes he was washing, taking the opportunity to do so while the shop was empty. Well,  _ mostly _ empty. Friends didn’t count in that regard.

Ryuji sneered. “Don’t talk like you’re my mom. I’ve been taking extra hours, I wouldn’t  _ have _ the money if I wasn’t so determined to get it.”

“I’m in agreement with Akira,” Makoto said from a couple seats down. She had made the room for herself so she could spread out notes and textbooks all around her, eyes trained on the text and hand moving to write something even as she spoke. “Tattoos are expensive, aren’t they? And haven’t you commented several times on how you’ve struggled to make rent? I’m not trying to question your judgement, of course,” she defended, “but maybe you should take a bit more time to think about this.”

“As if  _ you’re _ one to talk. We all know you’re saving up for a motorcycle, you’re constantly flipping through those magazines when we hang out.” 

Makoto raised her eyes from her page for a brief moment to shoot him a look but said nothing.

“Fine,” Akira sighed, resigning himself. “I’ll go with you.”

“Yes! Aw man, I owe you one!”

Makoto’s voice lilted, “Just don’t let him talk you into a piercing. Again.”

* * *

“It shouldddd be on this block…” Ryuji said, eyes looking up from his phone. “There! That’s it!”

Akira looked in the direction indicated to see a small door off to the side of a building with “Persona” written above it in blue neon lights, bordering his view of a dark staircase leading down. “Are most tattoo parlors underground?” he asked dubiously.

“I mean, a fair amount I guess. Gotta put them somewhere, right?” He sauntered in, passing a sign that advertised “2 for 1 piercings!” that Akira eyed warily before following suit, recalling Makoto’s words. He and needles had not been on the best of terms ever since an incident a few years prior. The idea of him getting another piercing  _ now _ was doubtful at best.

The inside was far different from the mental image he had had of what tattoo parlors were like. He had expected bare concrete, dim lights, a stark amount of black, and large men in leather with every inch of skin pierced with metal. Well, actually there was one man fitting that description, but he sat politely on a couch with a cooking magazine in his hands. The shop was instead painted white and well lit, walls covered in artwork and a long glass counter near the door that housed a multitude of jewelry. Behind it, a girl with fluffy hair in a soft looking sweater was perched on a stool, leaning over a notebook with multicoloured highlighted writing that made Akira wonder idly if she was also studying for university midterms as Makoto was and he should’ve been.

“Hey!” Ryuji approached, causing her to look up with a brief expression of surprise.

“Hello. What can I do for you?” 

“I, uh. I’m looking to get a tattoo?” 

“Alright, did you have an artist in mind?”

“Uh, yeah actually. My friend recommended one to me. He’s- um, hang on.” Ryuji pulled his phone from his pocket, tapping on it for a moment. “Yusuke Kitagawa?”

“Oh, he’s just finishing up with someone else, I think,” the girl said, looking over at a row of curtained off areas where a faint buzzing could be heard, as if she could somehow see him through the black fabric. “If you’re able to wait a little bit, you should be able to consult with him directly once he’s finished.”

“Oh! Cool, yeah, we’ll do that.”

“What about you?” she suddenly cast her attention to where Akira stood just behind Ryuji.

“I’m just here to keep him from chickening out.” Really though, Akira felt like more of the chicken himself, cautiously eyeing a collection of eyebrow rings in the case as if they might jump out at him.

“I see,” she smiled, not paying mind to Ryuji suddenly looking more flustered. “Well, you two can have a seat over there. Would you like any coffee or water?” As she gestured to the couches, her sleeve rode up a bit to reveal the slightest hint of heavy tattooing underneath.

“I’m good,” Ryuji said, his voice breaking slightly and he rubbed the back of his neck as if to hide it before gesturing to Akira, “This guy’d probably like coffee though.”

Akira just nodded, trying to stop the amusement from showing on his face.

“Dude, did you see her arm?” Ryuji whispered excitedly once they had reached the couches, the blond boy pointedly choosing to sit as far away from the large pierced man as he could. “I never would have expected someone like her to work at this kinda place!”

“It’s not what I expected,” Akira agreed, referring to the shop as a whole.

“Right?! I mean, I guess it makes sense considering it’s a place  _ Ann _ recommended, though. I can’t really imagine her in any of those really seedy ones.”

Akira nodded, eyes falling on a black book on the table where the name Yusuke was written in elegant lettering. “That’s the name you said, isn’t it?” He leaned forward, taking it into his hands and opening it to reveal designs and photos slipped into plastic sleeves.

Ryuji scooched over to get a better look. “Yeah! Aw man, this must be his portfolio! Lemme see!” 

Akira offered the book to him, well timed as the girl from the counter was approaching them with a steaming paper cup that Akira accepted with a small “thank you.”

“Dude, this guy’s good!” Akira watched as pages were flipped, revealing various tattoos the artist had previously done. Some watercolour, some abstract, some that looked like woodblock prints, holding incredible amounts of detail. “I mean, some of these are kinda weird, but I guess I don’t really know much about art,” Ryuji added as he flipped to one that looked like some kind of bird, designed in a way that made it look like it was done with a brush rather than a tattoo gun.

They sat in mostly silence for a while as they waited, Ryuji occasionally making comments as he looked through various artists’ portfolios and Akira watched, sipping lazily on the instant coffee in his hands. 

After a while, the curtain that the girl had glanced at was drawn back and a woman and young man emerged, the woman with a square of black plastic taped to her arm. Akira watched as the pierced man stood, joining the other two at the counter as they discussed what he assumed was payment and a small collection of bills was passed between them. He was a bit surprised at the fact that the artist - Yusuke - seemed to be about the same age as Ryuji and himself, as well as the fact that he came up to the same height as the pierced man while they talked, though he was much slimmer.

He was pretty.

After the pair turned to leave, the girl they had spoken to earlier walked over to Yusuke, gesturing to where they sat as she spoke to him in a voice too small for Akira to hear. He nodded and looked over, happening to meet Akira’s gaze for an instant, then smiled lightly and said something back to her. As he approached them Akira immediately stood, kicking Ryuji slightly to get his attention.

“I’m told you requested me?” Yusuke said to Akira rather than Ryuji, causing him to blink in surprise, opening his mouth to say something.

“I did,” Ryuji raised a hand, halting whatever words were about to come out of his own mouth. “My friend said you were good. Said you were the one who did her last couple tattoos.” 

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Uh, blonde, half Japanese, rockin’ body…”

“Ah yes, I believe I remember her,” he agreed, though the look on his face seemed to indicate otherwise. “Regardless, what is it you’re looking for from me?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! ‘Kay so, on my back, I’m thinking of like, a skeleton pirate riding a pirate ship!”

Understandably, Yusuke looked both surprised and confused. “Riding it?”

“Yeah! Like, standing on it like it’s a skateboard or somethin’”

“I see…” He took a pad of paper and pencil from his pocket, seeming to write down notes about Ryuji’s “vision”. “And the style?”

“Style?”

“Yes, the art style. To start, are you imagining to get it in grayscale or colour?”

“Oh! Colour, definitely. Oh, also! I was lookin’ through your book and…” he trailed off, grabbing up the portfolio and flipping roughly through it for a moment, “This! I’m thinking like, bright colours on most of him, but then he has like, a cape and maybe some smoke in this sort of trailing off style!”

“Watercolour.”

“Yeah, watercolour!”

“I see…” he said as the pencil scribbled quickly. “Now tell me, um…”

“Ryuji.”

“Ryuji. Is this your first tattoo?” He seemed to look over the boy’s bare arms as he said this, noting their lack of ink.

“Uh, well I mean  _ technically  _ no. I’ve got this!” He hiked up his sleeve to reveal a small fading stick-and-poke of a skull on his shoulder. 

Yusuke knit his eyebrows, glancing over at Akira who gave an apologetic look. “That’s all very well,” he conceded, “but my worry lies with your… inexperience. You must understand, these things can be quite painful. Most people start with something smaller. A back tattoo, and a fully coloured one at that, will take several hours, likely even several sessions.”

“Oh. Uh. I hadn’t really thought about that. But hey, I’m a tough guy, I can handle it.” 

“Well, as long as you understand the circumstances… Shall we book the appointment?” he gestured to the counter behind him and the other two agreed. 

A few minutes later, he was jotting down Ryuji’s name on a schedule that featured a number of others. “4pm on Wednesday of next week it is then,” he said, capping the pen he’d been using. “Would you mind terribly if we exchanged contact information? I’ll draw up my interpretation of your idea therefore, if we do so, I can send it to you for your appraisal prior to the actual date.”

“Yeah, sure man. You want this guy’s too?” 

Yusuke and Akira looked at Ryuji and then each other in surprise. Yusuke seemed to be about to decline when Akira shrugged. “Why not?”

“I- Yes, I suppose there isn’t reason not to...” Yusuke turned back to Ryuji, “I assume he’ll be joining you on the appointment date, so there may be some advantage to being able to contact you both if the need arises.”

“Yeah! Okay so mine…”

With contact info and thank yous exchanged, the two made their way back up the stairs and out into the afternoon sunlight.

“You’re welcome,” Ryuji said once they were outside.

Akira gave him a questioning look but said nothing.

* * *

“YOU GOT THE TATTOO GUY TO GIVE AKIRA HIS NUMBER?” In response to Ann’s loud outburst, Ryuji laughed, Akira shushed, and the few other people present the in coffee shop looked in their direction curiously. 

“Just announce it to the entire world,” Akira said, trying to cover his face with one hand as well as he could without smudging his glasses.

“Oops, sorry!” Sarcasm wouldn’t have surprised him in this situation, but he had to admit she did sound genuinely apologetic. She had texted them soon after they had left the parlor saying she was dying for some of Leblanc’s curry and thus had lead them to their current situation. 

“Seriously dude, you were giving the guy eyes from the moment he stepped out,” Ryuji said, elegantly shoving a few chips in his mouth.  _ Of course _ he had made them stop for snacks on the way to the  _ restaurant  _ where Akira worked despite the fact that he had already been running late for his shift. “Really, you looked like you wanted to jump the guy right there.”

Akira looked at him incredulously, “Sure he was attractive, but I was hardly on the verge of jumping him. And can we not talk about this while I’m at work?”

“Are you sure you’re not just nervous because we’ve got you somewhere where you can’t run away?” Ann said.

“You sound like you’re going to attack me.”

“Like you wanted to attack that Yusuke dude.”

Akira shot Ryuji a dirty look.

“Look man, I’m just tryna help! I mean, have you even been on a  _ date _ since you and Makoto were goin’ out?”

“That was in high school.”

“My point exactly!”

“And what does  _ your _ dating history look like, Ryuji?” Ann cut in, a blessing sent by the gods.

“Sh-shut up! I could get a chick if I really wanted to!”

“Uh-huh.”

“ _ Anyway.  _ You gotta text him dude, the guy was  _ totally  _ gay. I mean did you  _ see _ the way he was dressed?”

“That’s stereotyping,” Ann interjected.

“He was wearing a jacket with  _ pink zippers. _ ”

Akira cut in, ignoring their bickering. “What do you expect me to say? You’re the one he has business with, not me.”

“I dunno, say you liked his art or somethin’. You’re way smoother than me, you can figure it out.”

“Ooo, say you’ve been considering getting a tattoo and you wanna know what he thinks would work on you!”

“That’s- actually not a bad idea.”

“So ya gonna do it?”

“I-” Akira’s response was cut short as the bell on the door dinged, thankful for the excuse to escape the conversation and give his attention to this customer until he noticed who it was. 

Ann and Ryuji shot twin mischievous looks at Akira.

This had to be some sort of cruel joke.

Yusuke didn’t even seem to notice who was sitting at the counter as he walked to the till, eyes fixed on reading the menu. 

“What can I get for you?” Akira asked and Yusuke met his gaze, seeming to freeze in surprise for a moment before recollecting himself.

“You’re- My, I didn’t realize you worked here. You’re the one who came in with the pirate boy earlier, are you not?”

From a little ways over, Ann snickered as she repeated “pirate boy” under her breath, claiming Yusuke’s attention. “Oh, hello. I apologize, I didn’t seem to notice the two of you either.”

“No prob, man,” Ryuji raised a hand in greeting. “Whatcha doing here?”

“I was planning to get coffee,” he said slowly, as if testing out the words. “Exams are coming up and I’ve been busy what with both school and work. I’m afraid I haven’t been able to make much time for sleeping.” There was cold humor to his words. “My coworker recommended this place.” He looked back at where Akira stood behind the register. “As for my order, I’ll have a large Americano please.” 

Akira nodded and read out the price, quickly getting to work rather than attempting to be a part of the conversation.

“That can’t be very healthy,” Ann said, concern leaking into her voice.

“I doubt there is much I can do about it,” he said lightly.

“Why not take less hours at the shop?” Ryuji asked.

“I’m afraid money is an issue. I don’t have any external financial support; it’s purely up to what I make myself. Art isn’t something that’s greatly profitable, unfortunately, hence the tattoo work so that I can at least garner  _ some  _ secured income.”

“What school are you going to?” Akira interjected, placing the finished coffee in front of the boy who accepted it graciously.

“Thank you. I’m attending Geidai.”

“Oh…”

“Hm?”

“Us and some friends are going to Todai,” Akira explained, indicating himself and Ann. “We’re part of a study group and I thought maybe we’d be able to help you, but if you’re going to an art school-”

“That sounds wonderful!” Yusuke interrupted, his expression suddenly brighter.

“But if you’re going to such a different school, would we even be able to help?” Ann asked.

“The atmosphere alone would likely be beneficial. I’ve been studying mostly in my dorm and I’m afraid my roommate is not the quietest person. Where is it you usually study?”

“Uhh usually one of our apartments,” Ann explained, then turned to Akira. “There’s some construction going on in my building right now though... Oh, and Makoto was saying we should avoid her place for a while. Her sister apparently has some big case coming up and she doesn’t want to risk us distracting her.”

“My place is still fine,” Akira assured, then to Yusuke, “It’s not far from here, I could text you the address once we know when we’re planning to get together next.” 

Yusuke’s smile grew wider. “That sounds wonderful, I look forward to it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really should be going. It was nice talking to you all.”

The three watched as he left, not saying anything until the door had jingled closed.

“He was  _ totally _ checking you out!” Ann exclaimed.

“Volume.”

“No, but dude. His eyes were like,  _ trained _ on you while you were makin’ that coffee. And his expression when you invited him over? That was smooth, my man.”

“It’s a study group.”

Ann giggled. “Should I arrange for everyone to suddenly be busy right before we meet up?”

“First, that would be awkward. Second, I  _ am  _ actually interested in helping him. He seems nice.”

Ryuji and Ann exchanged a glance.

“Stop it or I’m not giving you free coffee anymore.”

* * *

“You’re here early,” the tiny piercer commented as she entered the tattoo parlor. The lanky tattoo artist was flopped over the counter and she worried idly if it would hold his weight for much longer. She had had to fix part of it just last week... “I brought you a bagel. Well, two actually. I didn’t know whether you would prefer blueberry or multigrain.”

“Haru, he invited me to his apartment,” Yusuke said instead of answering, not lifting his head as the moisture from his breath condensed into fog on the glass.

“Soooo blueberry?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’m assuming this is the boy in glasses from yesterday?”

Yusuke simply nodded, finally lifting himself to take the offered bagel before elaborating, “It’s as a study group. I happened to mention how I’ve been struggling to fit it in what with work and everything and he offered to let me join. Coincidentally, the study group is held at his apartment.”

“Hmm.”

“Hm?”

“It just happened to be  _ his  _ apartment?”

“Apparently they usually change whose they have it at. Due to external circumstances, however, only his is available at the moment.”

“Hmmmm.”

“You sound like you don’t believe me.”

“I sound like I don’t believe  _ him _ . It sounds like an excuse to get you over there.”

“Hm.” Yusuke couldn’t disagree but, all the same, he was not one who liked to get his hopes up. He had had some… bad experiences, to say the least. “Do you think I shouldn’t go?”

Haru, as well, had had some bad experiences. “He said it’s a study  _ group _ , right? As long as there are other people there, there shouldn’t be as much to worry about. You’re sure he’s not lying about the group thing?”

“His friends were there as well. The one he came in with whom I’m tattooing and, if I’m correct, the friend who had recommended me in the first place.”

“Hold on, you saw him  _ in person _ ?  _ Where _ ? I assumed he had just texted you!”

“Oh, yes I suppose I did forget to mention: he works at the coffee shop you mentioned to me.”

“He does?! Oh my gosh I’m responsible for you getting a date.”

“It is not a  _ date _ .”

“Hmmmmmm.”

“You’ve been saying that far too much for my liking.”

“Hm.”

* * *

**Akira:** Everyone’s decided to meet up monday at 7  
**Akira:** Does that work for you?  
**Yusuke:** Yes, that should be manageable.  
**Yusuke:** I look forward to it.  
**Akira:** Make sure you eat something first  
**Akira:** Makoto constantly talks about how you need to be “well fed to be focused”  
**Akira:** She might get on your case otherwise  
**Yusuke:** I’ll see what I can do.  
**Yusuke:** Persona closes at 6:30 on Mondays, so it might be a bit close.  
**Yusuke:** You’ll have to forgive me if I’m unable.  
**Akira:** I’ll make sure there’s something to snack on  
**Akira:** Just in case  
**Yusuke:** That would be delightful.

* * *

“Dude, you’re  _ baking _ ?” Ryuji questioned as he walked into the small third story apartment and was immediately enveloped in the scent of chocolate and butter. Multiple mixing bowls rested on the limited counter space along with a bottle of vanilla extract, an empty egg carton, some mysterious plastic wrappers, and enough flour to indicate it had been spilt at some point. “You’re getting way too worked up about this date.”

“It’s not a date. I’m making cookies for  _ everyone _ .”

“Suuure you are.” He dumped his backpack on the worn couch, moving over to the kitchen where Akira donned an apron that probably wasn’t originally white. “What kind’re they?”

“Ginger snaps are in the oven, the ones I’m currently making are chocolate chip,” he nodded down at the bowl he was almost done mixing.

“ _ Dude. _ ”

“I didn’t know which type people would prefer,” he shrugged.

“You’ve met him what? Twice?”

“We’ve been texting a bit.”

“Bwuh? You’ve been  _ texting _ and you didn’t tell me?” Ryuji gave him an incredulous look. “Dang man. As your best friend, I am  _ hurt.  _ Also wait, why didn’t you just  _ ask  _ what kinda cookies he liked?”

“That would ruin the surprise,” Akira smirked, then continued to answer the earlier question, “I texted him the day before last to tell him the study group’s tonight. We’ve been chatting a bit since.”

“Do I smell cookies?!” Ann’s voice suddenly sounded from the door.

“Dude, do you ever  _ knock _ ?” Ryuji scolded despite having not knocked himself. “And yup. Lover boy’s making two kinds ‘cause he was too shy to just ask the dude what he liked.”

“Awwww.”

“It’s very endearing,” Futaba said from behind her, a hint of teasing sarcasm to her voice. 

Akira’s phone buzzed in his pocket, tearing him away from the baking pan where he had been placing out the dough. [Would you mind terribly if my friend joined us? I apologize for the late warning.]

[No problem, the more the merrier] he tapped out in response.

“You got something on your face, man.” Akira blinked, wiping at his cheek as Ryuji starting giggling. “You missed it. It’s a smile.” 

“Oh,” he said, blushing slightly as the girls giggled as well. “Yusuke’s bringing someone.”

“Uh oh,” Ann said.

“Uh oh? What’s uh oh?” Futaba asked, glancing around the apartment.

“Well, what if this ‘someone’ is a person he’s dating? Our entire plan will be for nothing!” 

“The plan was to help him study, not to get him to date me,” Akira chastised. “And even if he  _ is _ dating this person, we still get to be friends with him,” he said lightly, earning stares all around.

“Wait, seriously?”

“Man, have  _ you _ ever grown up.”

Akira shrugged. “Had to at some point.”

“Well,” Futaba interjected, looking for a change in subject as well as Akira’s cat, “The cookies smell good. Are you trying that recipe I sent you?”

A nod. 

“Oh? Is there something special about them?” Ann asked.

“Yeah, the- CAT!” she broke off, suddenly rushing to the other side of the room where she had apparently spotted Morgana emerging from the bedroom.

“Aaand there she goes. Ryuji, why are you even here? You’re not in school right now.”

“Oh, I brought some manga.”

“Why…?”

He grinned cheekily. “I wanted to be here and I needed something to do.”

“Makoto’s not gonna like that, you know.”

“Yeah well Makoto can-”

“What can I do?” Makoto said from the door.

“Speak of the effing devil…”

“May I ask  _ why _ my name is being mentioned?” she asked, crossing her arms as she walked over to them. “Whatever you’re making smells delicious by the way, Akira.”

“ _ Someone  _ decided to bring manga to our study group,” Ann accused.

“Ryuji!”

“Man, why is this such a big deal? I’m not even  _ in _ school right now, what am I meant ta study?”

“It will be a distraction! And even if you aren’t in school, there are  _ still _ things you could be working to improve yourself in!” Makoto walked across the room to place her bookbag on one of the chairs at the table, continuing obstinately, “You could pick up a language, for example.”

“As if I need that for working at an effing shoe store.”

“Do you plan to work there for the rest of your _ life _ ?”

“Oh dear, am I interrupting something?” All eyes turned to the door at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. “No one answered when I knocked...”

“No one knocks here, you just come in,” Ann commented, to which no one objected.

“You must be Yusuke,” Makoto composed herself, though there was something odd glittering in the back of her eye. “I’m Makoto, Akira’s told me a lot about you.”

“Has he?” Yusuke smiled in Akira’s direction, and he shrugged before turning to take the now-finished cookies out of the oven. “Where are my manners? This is my coworker, Haru,” he gestured to a girl coming through the door behind him who looked tiny by comparison. 

“Hey!” Ann chimed in, “It’s nice to see you again! I wasn’t expecting it to be you when Yusuke said he was bringing someone. She works as a piercer,” she explained to the others, adding with a wink, “She’s stuck me a couple times,” 

Haru blushed slightly, saying a polite hello.

“And let’s see... Going around, we have Makoto who’s already introduced herself, Ryuji who was just causing an argument as usual, Futaba is the one torturing the cat who’s named Morgana, the one covered in flour is our gracious host Akira, and I’m the lovely Ann!”

“Oh goodness, there’s a cat,” Haru said under her breath, hastily making her way over to join Futaba.

“Hey, are the cookies ready? Can I have one?” Ryuji asked.

“Let them cool first.”

“Oh? What kind did you make?” Yusuke moved towards the kitchen where Ryuji drooled beside the baked goods Akira was busy plating. 

“Yo, get this, he made  _ two kinds  _ because- MMPH.” His words were broken off by a sudden cookie being shoved into his mouth. “HOT!” he yelled as he spat it out into his hand. “Dude, the heck?”

“You said you wanted one,” Akira proffered simply. 

“Yeah, wanted a cookie, not third degree burns. Outta the way,” he made a beeline for the sink, unceremoniously pushing Akira out of his way and into Yusuke.

Yusuke in turn grabbed Akira by the shoulders, stabilizing him despite wobbling himself. “Oh! My apologies.”

“Ah- No, sorry. It’s my fault…” Akira backed out of Yusuke’s grip, averting his eyes in a way he wasn’t sure was subtle.

“So… Shouldn’t we get to the actual  _ study _ part of this study group?” Makoto asked, eyes on the two boys who both didn’t notice the other was blushing.

“Yeah.” Akira grabbed the cookies and moved towards the small kitchen table before pausing, both plates still in hand. “We may have to squish a bit,” he joked, “the study group hasn’t been this big before.”

“My, but wouldn’t that make it difficult to have all our books out?”

“Uh-”

“Well,  _ Ryuji  _ can take a spot on the couch since he doesn’t have anything to study anyway,” Makoto said with a hint of mirth in her voice.

“I’ll be on my laptop, so I don’t need table space either. I’m good with the floor,” Futaba offered. 

“And I just study by reading over my notes, so I’m good too,” Ann said.

“So that leaves Yusuke, Haru, Akira, and I at the table,” Makoto counted. “That should work.”

Akira nodded, placing one of the plates on the kitchen table and the other on the small coffee table, each containing a combination of both cookie types.

With only minor squabbling, they all arranged themselves and their books as designated. Once set up, Yusuke reached forward to grab one of the cookies and Akira smiled to himself as he noticed it was one of the ginger snaps. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Yusuke turned his attention back to his notes, biting down absentmindedly on the cookie balanced in his long fingers as his expression suddenly turned into one of surprise. “...Oh!”

“What is it?” Haru asked from beside him.

“There’s caramel in it!” he remarked, staring at it as though it was an amazing discovery. 

“Woah, seriously?” Ryuji grabbed at one of the ones on the plate closer to him, biting into it seemingly as fast as he could. “ _ Dude _ .”

“It’s Sojiro’s recipe. Futaba suggested I make them,” Akira explained, glancing up at Yusuke from where he was leaned over his notes across the table.

“My!”

“ _ That’s _ my girl!” Ann clapped Futaba on the back who squawked in surprised response.

“Sorry, but can we focus on our actual material for a while?” Makoto asked shooting an accusatory look around the room before seeming to collect herself, looking apologetically at Akira. “I’m sorry just, I have my first test tomorrow and I’m kinda stressing.”

“You’ll do great, don’t worry.” Akira placed a reassuring hand on Makoto’s arm, not noticing Yusuke flick his eyes between the two of them.

* * *

**Yusuke:** He’s straight.  
**Haru:** huh?  
**Yusuke:** The way they act.  
**Yusuke:** She seems so comfortable here. With him.  
**Haru:** he’s being nice, that doesn’t mean he’s straight  
**Yusuke:** It looks as though they’re dating.  
**Haru:** ask him about it later :o  
**Haru:** you can play it off as being curious, he won’t suspect anything  
**Yusuke:** I’d rather not have the confirmation.  
**Haru:** :(  
**Haru:** you’re being silly  
**Haru:** go back to studying before they notice you

* * *

Hours later, the cookies had disappeared and everyone was making their way out the door, Ann nudging a sleeping Ryuji awake with her foot.

“Thank you for having me,” Yusuke said to Akira as he shrugged on a jacket he had brought with him, the night air having taken on a cooler temperature that had resulted in the group closing windows an hour earlier. “As well, thank you for the cookies.”

“I’ll have to make them for you again sometime,” he replied, playing with his hair and trying to keep the smile off his face. 

They stared at each other for a moment, the air between them static, before “Well, we best be off then. I’ll see you at Ryuji’s appointment the day after next, I assume?”

Akira nodded.

“Bye!” Haru said with a wave, following behind Yusuke’s receding form.

Akira stared after them for a moment before turning back into his apartment. Makoto had offered to stay behind to help clean up, and he saw her now at the kitchen sink where she had placed the plates as well as the various cups that had been used during the evening. “Hey, Akira? Can I talk to you about something?”

The serious tone to her voice made him want to retreat, but instead, “Sure. What about?”

“Well… About Yusuke.” 

Ah, he had expected that was it.

“He seems very nice, but just… Are you sure he’s okay for you? I-I don’t want to sound like I mean there’s something  _ wrong  _ with him, I just-”

“You’re worried.”

“...Yeah. Look, we’ve known each other a long time. I  _ saw _ what happened to you after we broke up. I just, I’m worried that that’s going to happen to you again. With him. And I don’t know what to do to help you that doesn’t sound like me being the vindictive ex who isn’t over you and is trying to steer you away from dating-”

“Makoto.” He put his hands on her shoulders lightly, trying to help ground her. “Thank you. But you don’t need to worry.”

“I know, I’m sorry, it’s not my place to-” She broke off, just taking a moment to focus on breathing. “I’m sorry, can we sit down?” 

He lead her to the couch, sitting next to her but making sure to leave room between them. Practiced detachment that had become habit. 

“...He’s very nice,” she reiterated, not meeting his gaze fully, then with a hint of a laugh, “Plus I think he really likes you.” She took a deep breath. “We talked at one point while everyone was taking a break and he seems like a good person. I can see why you like him. I just worry that you’re getting into this too fast. It’s been so  _ long _ since you were with anyone, I worry that you’re jumping too easily at the prospect.”

“...I probably am,” he admitted after a moment. “I’m okay with that, though.”

She looked at him, eyes watery and questioning.

“What happened between us…” he began. “You were the first serious relationship I had. I got caught up in it and when you broke it off, I- I think I was in denial. I thought it was  _ me _ that you didn’t want anymore, not the relationship. None of that was your fault; you explained everything and I failed to listen. I’m not like that anymore. Or at least, I don’t think I am.

“I felt like I didn’t have anyone else. I was so used to being alone after what happened with my parents and when I came to Shujin… I broke down. It was bad of me. You were right to put yourself and your goals ahead of me.”

“Akira… It wasn’t  _ bad _ of you. You had been through a lot, it was understandable.”

“The thing is though, I  _ know _ now that I have you guys. All of you. If this thing with Yusuke doesn’t work out, oh well. I tried.”

She smiled at him, a few tears dripping from her eyes, and he pulled her into a hug. “...I’m sorry I didn’t have more faith in you,” she said into his neck, returning the embrace. “When you started telling me about Yusuke and you seemed so  _ excited _ I just…” She took another deep breath that had an audible shake to it. “I got worried.”

“I know. Thank you.”

They sat like that for a while, Akira rubbing her back to try to sooth away the tears, until the door suddenly opened, accompanied by “I apologize, it seems I forgot my note- ...oh.”

They pulled away from each other as if electrified. 

“Oh, um,” Makoto floundered, getting up from the couch and immediately trying to smooth her appearance. “Here, your notebook, right? You left it on the table. I found it while I was cleaning up and wasn’t sure whose it was.”

“I- Thank you. I’m sorry, I’ll be leaving.” He hastily took it from her, turning and exiting as suddenly as he came.

* * *

Streetlights illuminated the dark ceiling of Akira’s bedroom, the square of muted light doubling occasionally as cars passed by. Morgana slept on his chest, heavy and making breathing harder, yet even without him, Akira felt sure the weight would still be there. 

He had felt so much more sure of things when he had spoken to Makoto earlier.

And then Yusuke had walked in on them.

What had it looked like? What did Yusuke think? His phone sat on his bed beside him, the light blinking with an unopened message from Ryuji that he didn’t care enough to answer. It was late. He was tired. 

He hadn’t texted Yusuke.

Yusuke hadn’t texted him.

They had unwittingly entered an awful waiting game.

What was he even supposed to say in this kind of situation? “Hey, do you think something’s going on between my friend and I? ‘Cause if so I wanna clear up this misunderstanding because I want something to go on between  _ us _ .” Yeah, no. Bad idea.

He wanted to say  _ something _ , though. Wanted to at least have a better grasp of what the situation was. Maybe he could talk to Haru? The regret of not asking her for her number when he’d had the chance added a bit more weight to his chest. Maybe someone else had?

Reaching over, he grabbed his phone and tapped out a message to Ann, hoping she was still awake at… He looked at the clock in the corner of the screen. 3AM. Great. To his surprise, a reply came after only a few minutes assuring him that yes she had gotten her number and yes she could give it to him, here you go.

He sent back a string of emojis to thank her.

**Akira:** Sorry to text you so late  
**Akira:** It’s Akira  
**Akira:** I was wondering if Yusuke said anything after he came back to grab his notebook 

He waited ten minutes. Half an hour. An hour. Until the sun started to join the streetlights shining into his room. At least it was a different sort of waiting game now. 

A little after 8AM, as he was just settling into his first class of the day with a very large coffee in hand, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

**Haru:** he didn’t  
**Haru:** did something happen? D:  
**Akira:** I think he might have misunderstood something 

Would saying that make things worse? It did sound a bit weird out of context...

**Akira:** It’s nothing, sorry to bother you  
**Haru:** you should text him  
**Haru:** it wouldn’t hurt

* * *

“Did something happen? Akira texted me in the middle of the night,” Haru asked as she restocked a drawer of piercing needles. She had been going through so many 16 gauges recently…

“I wasn’t aware you’d given him your number,” Yusuke replied, not answering her question. He was bent over a sketchbook, his notepad beside him where she could see writing added in various colours of ink, likely from multiple consultations with Ryuji. He had drawn the same pirate three times now, each slightly different from that last. This one, from what she could see, had heavier lining that made it almost look like graffiti. Not Yusuke’s usual style, but he managed to do it well.

“I didn’t. The only person I gave it to was Ann, so I assume he got it from her considering it apparently wasn’t you.”

“Hm.” He didn’t look up from the paper.

She pursed her lips, considering as she did so that she might look good with a labret. “He didn’t do something to you, did he?”

“Huh?”  _ That _ had made him look up. “No, of course not.”

“Just making sure. So what  _ did _ happen?”

She watched as he opened and closed his mouth a few times, searching for words, before finally saying, “I was right about him and Makoto.”

“I think he might have misunderstood something,” Akira had said. Oh boy. She wasn’t sure what Yusuke had seen to make him feel certain in the matter, but she  _ was  _ sure that he was terrible at interpreting social situations.

Yusuke was her friend and she really  _ should  _ help him out given that she seemed to have a better idea of the situation than him, but… 

She smacked his bent head lightly the a pack of needles before putting them in their proper place in the drawer. “You’re both being silly.  _ Talk _ to him. I’m giving you until you’re finished with pirate boy’s tattoo or else I’m stepping in.”

* * *

“All ready for our date with Mr Tall, Dark, and Artistic?” Ryuji said as way of greeting when he met Akira outside his last class the following day.

“I suppose,” he replied, sounding far less than plused. 

Unhappy? To be seeing the guy he’d been crushing hard on for the past week? “S’up, dude? You don’t need to be feeling nervous,  _ I’m  _ the one who’s about to get stuck with a million needles.”

“It’s nothing, let’s go.” Akira started walking, leaving Ryuji staring for a moment before he half jogged to catch up.

“I’m serious, what’s up? Did you guys have a fight or something?”

“You have to be talking to have a fight with someone,” Akira said under his breath. So it  _ was _ a fight. Just not an aggressive one. 

“Okayyy, then what are you not-fighting about?” This was Ryuji, best friend and wingman extraordinaire. He had gotten the ball rolling on this little romance game and he wasn’t gonna let it stop after barely a week. He would get to the bottom of it.

Akira sighed. “It’s nothing.”

“Hey, no. It obviously ain’t nothing. Stewing about it isn’t gonna help, you know you can tell me anything, bro.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Akira obviously thinking about things and Ryuji deciding to be patient for once, having learned from their past four years of friendship that patience tended to be the best way to get things out of him. It paid off as, once they were only a block from Persona, Akira stopped with obvious anxiety marring his expression.

And so he explained. 

“Wait,  _ that’s _ it?” Ryuji asked once he was done. “Dude. Just talk to him, it’s an easy fix.”

“One that will give too much away.”

“Who  _ cares _ ?” Here he goes, wingman extraordinaire. “Look, if he  _ is _ straight, which is sincerely doubtful my dude, then he’ll just think you’re explaining away an awkward situation. And if he’s gay, then it just gives you an open to come onto him properly.”

“You’re forgetting the possibility of him being gay and completely not into me.”

“ _ Dude. _ He came to your apartment after meeting you  _ twice _ . Granted this is just my straight guy opinion-”

Akira raised an eyebrow.

“ _ Mostly- _ straight guy opinion,” he corrected, both of them being privy to what laid in Ryuji’s stark romantic history, “but that guy?” he gestured with his thumb in the general direction of the tattoo parlor. “He seems totally into you. Like the whole makin’ eyes thing I mentioned after you first met ‘im? It’s been going both ways, man. I’ve been there every time you two have been in the same room together, unless you’ve had some secret rendezvous that you haven’t brought up.”

“Now that you mention it, there  _ were _ those midnight back alley sexcapades,” Akira said with an irritatingly flat expression.

“Right, I’m gonna take you being a sarcastic little shit as a sign that you’re feeling better. Come on.”

* * *

“The goal for today’s session is to get through the linework,” Yusuke explained to the two men looking down at the design between them. “Par request, the lines ended up quite thick so, while I hope to be able to do all of them today, whether that is feasible is questionable.”

“Dude, this is  _ awesome. _ Ryuji glowed. “I mean, the idea I had in my head was cool and all, but I never imagined it could look  _ this _ sick in reality.”

“Yes, I must admit I’m pleased with how it turned out. You’re sure there’s nothing you would like to be different?”

“Not a thing, I am ready for you to stab that bad boy into me.”

Akira covered his mouth, hiding a smile that made Yusuke feel as though he had missed a joke.

“...Right. So what we’ve been looking at is the full coloured design. I have a copy of just the linework over where we’ll be doing the tattooing itself so, if you’ll come with me, we can set you up and see about making sure it’s the right size.” Picking up the paper, he lead them over to a small rectangle of space sectioned off by black curtains. “Your shirt off, please,” he addressed to Ryuji. “Lie down on the table, it should only take a moment to gauge.” He quickly went through the process of a direct comparison between the paper he had prepared and Ryuji’s  back. “You want this to cover your entire back, correct?”

Ryuji affirmed, much to Yusuke’s satisfaction at finding that his guess at the size had been perfect. 

“Excellent. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, gentlemen, I’ll be back in a minute with the stencil.” He excused himself to the back room where the thermal copier was, the door barely seeming to swing closed behind him when it was opened again by Haru.

“Have you talked to him yet?” she said in a voice even smaller than usual.

“The topic has yet to arise.” He stared at his hands, focusing on his work.

“Well,  _ bring it up _ ! He’ll be bored while you’re tattooing Ryuji anyway, you can mention it casually.”

Yusuke hoped he wasn’t being too rude as he grabbed up the finished stencil and exited the room without saying anything. 

Returning to the curtained area, he was more surprised than he should have been to see Akira’s gaze transfixed on the wall. Unlike the rest of the parlor which featured artwork from the various artists who worked there now and in the past, this area was his alone. The designs he had lazily taped up over the course of several slow shifts were all ones he had painstakingly created for the customers he’d catered to over the short span of time he had worked there, each a small facet of memory and emotion. What Akira seemed most interested in, however, wasn’t something that graced anyone’s skin: a mostly black and red abstract piece of swirling darkness that almost looked like a deranged eye, surrounded by splashes of red that looked as though it could be either blood or rose petals. It was a smaller copy of a painting he had done in high school, not a tattoo design at all. Desire, he had entitled it; a grueling effort to express his turmoil of emotions at the time.

Seeing the man he had so quickly become taken with over the span of the last week looking at it caused an odd stir in the back of his mind that he couldn’t quite name.

Ryuji, on the other hand, had sat back up and was busy typing out something on his phone. “Down again, please,” he instructed as he approached them, picking a pair of disposable gloves out of a box. “I’ll apply this and then you can affirm if the size and positioning are to your liking before we begin. Arms by your sides please, I’m afraid you won’t be able to text while we’re working.”

“Aw man. Here, Akira. You know my passcode, right? Lemme know if I get anything so I can tell you what to send back,” he said as he passed the device between them. Akira nodded and took a seat in an extra chair off to the side. “Alright, artist boy. Work your magic.”

Yusuke smirked slightly as he began, enjoying a moment’s amusement when Ryuji tensed under the cold sanitizing cloth. With the stencil carefully transferred to skin, he gave the okay to stand once again and check it in the mirror. 

“ _Dude._ _Yes._ Akira, take a snapchat! Does it look okay to you guys? It’s a bit hard to see my own back properly…”

“Looks good to me,” Akira smiled, phone up and eyes trained on the screen.

“Yes, I think that works. It suits you.” It wasn’t a design that Yusuke could say he wanted on  _ himself _ , but he was very pleased with it nonetheless. He picked up the tattoo gun that he’d prepared earlier, making sure everything was okay with it. “Make sure you’re comfortable, you’ll be there for several hours.” 

Ryuji shook himself as if to get rid of lingering nerves before getting back on the table, shooting a thumbs up before resting his arm by his side.

The gun whirred in his hand as he brought it down, starting at a place on the hat.

* * *

“Ann says ‘looking good! *thumbs up emoji*’” Akira said a while later. Thin black ink now curved its way across the width of Ryuji’s upper back, the hat and head done and the body now the point of Yusuke’s focus. 

“I admit, you’re doing much better than I expected,” Yusuke said. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a knife’s being dragged across my back,” he replied through gritted teeth.

Akira smirked and he was fairly certain Yusuke was doing the same

The conversation had been sparse for the last hour, Ryuji evidently unable to contribute so long as the needle was against his skin and Yusuke and Akira both not being in the most talkative of situations. Akira had filled the time with silent piano tiles for a while before switching to texting Futaba about an anime she had binge watched the night before for the sake of conserving his battery. 

**Futaba:** so then a bunch of thugs from various schools corner the younger brother in an alley  
**Futaba:** because they think he’s his older brother  
**Futaba:** and they all act SO TOUGH but he just knocks them down like it’s nothing!  
**Futaba:** and then the older brother actually SHOWS UP and the two have this angsty confrontation  
**Akira:** This show seems to be relying a lot of lack of communication  
**Futaba:** doesn’t everything?  
**Futaba:** speaking of which  
**Futaba:** how goes it with tattoo boy?  
**Akira:** ???  
**Futaba:** ryuji and i were texting earlier  
**Futaba:** also i may have hacked your phone last week  
**Akira:** You’re horrible  
**Futaba:** i’m resourceful  
**Futaba:** but really  
**Futaba:** have you talked to him?  
**Akira:** You’re all remarkably concerned about my love life  
**Futaba:** i mean it’s not like anyone else is getting any  
**Futaba:** though i DO suspect something was up with ann and haru on monday  
**Akira:** Then text Ann and bother her instead  
**Futaba:** already did  
**Futaba:** now it’s your turn

“Whatcha scowlin’ about?” Ryuji suddenly said in a strained voice, and Akira looked up to see Yusuke had stopped for a moment to fiddle with something off to the side.

“Futaba,” he said as way of answer.

“Ah. By the way-” Ryuji didn’t finish the sentence, instead motioning with his eyes in the direction of Yusuke and causing Akira to frown even more.

**Akira:** Apparently even the pain of a thousand needles isn’t enough to shut Ryuji up  
**Futaba:** dang I kinda wanna see that  
**Futaba:** send me a video

He did so, managing to time it well enough that it caught Ryuji wincing, and sent it out to everyone in his immediate contacts, including Yusuke after a moment’s deliberation.

**Futaba:** niiiice  
**Futaba:** you should send me one of yusuke  
**Akira:** Why?  
**Futaba:** research  
**Futaba:** i’m thinking of getting a tattoo and i wanna know how it’s done

Akira raised an eyebrow but did as he was told, taking a quick ten second video of Yusuke bent over, gun moving steadily in his hand. Just as he went to the contact screen to send it to Futaba, however, Yusuke’s name was selected instead and the send button was hit before he could even register what had happened.

He jumped up in his seat, looking at his phone in disbelief. He hadn’t expected  _ this _ when Futaba mentioned hacking his phone. Thankfully, Yusuke hadn’t seemed to notice his sudden reaction, but Ryuji gave him a questioning look. He shook his head and sat back down.

**Akira:** Please tell me you didn’t just do what I think you just did  
**Futaba:** :3c  
**Futaba:** be sure to mention me at the wedding

“Hey,” Ryuji said suddenly and Akira looked up at the assumption that he was the one being spoken to only to notice Yusuke had stopped his ministrations. “Would it be possible to take a break for bit? The pain’s gettin’ a bit too much for me.”

“Of course,” Yusuke agreed easily. “All that’s left is the ship, so this is actually a good place to stop. You can sit up, but be sure as to not lean on anything.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t wanna get blood everywhere,” Ryuji joked. Akira was unsure if he was aware that his back  _ was _ bleeding a bit.

“Would either of you like me to get you something to drink while we have a moment?” 

“Water for me,” Ryuji replied, Akira nodding as way of asking for the same.

“Very well. Excuse me a moment,” he said as he pushed aside the curtain to exit. 

“Man, my back feels like it’s on fire,” Ryuji said, then after a moment, as if waiting until he was sure Yusuke was out of earshot, he hissed, “Dude, what’s up? You look like someone just killed your cat.”

“Futaba hacked my phone.”

“Yeah,  _ and _ ? I’m pretty sure she’s hacked  _ all  _ of us at some point or another.”

“She sent  _ Yusuke _ something from my phone.”

Ryuji gasped. “ _ Nudes _ ?”

“ _ No _ , I- she asked me to take a video of him to send her.”

“Oh, well that’s not so bad. If he asks, just say you thought he looked cool. Casual  _ and _ flirty.”

“I’m not-” He broke off as Yusuke returned with two paper cups in one hand and phone in the other, suddenly worried about how much had been heard.

“Here you are,” he said as he offered the cups. “I hope you don’t mind me checking my phone while we’re taking a break?” 

“Nah man, take your time.” Ryuji smiled, glancing overtly at Akira who scowled in response.

“Thank yo- Hm?” He paused in tapping on his phone, eyes suddenly drawing up to Akira for a moment. 

He gulped down some water, trying to look as if he wasn’t dying a little inside as he watched Yusuke tap once more, the sound of the recorded buzzing quieter than the actual buzzing they’d all been listening to for the past few hours. The first video, the one of Ryuji, Akira wasn’t worried about, but the second…

“My, I wasn’t aware you had taken a video of me,” he said simply, brushing it off like nothing.

He glanced over at Ryuji who winked at him. Now or never. “I thought you looked cool.”

Yusuke paused and Akira could almost swear he was blushing a bit. “I… suppose it  _ is _ interesting to be able to see what I look like at work. I never knew my hair parted like that in the back…”

“Oh! By the way, Akira. Did Makoto mention that guy from her criminal law class to you? Apparently she finally asked him out, they got a date this weekend.”

He blinked at the sudden change in conversation. So Ryuji was forcing the topic, then. “The guy who wears socks with cats on them? That’s good, she seems to be pretty interested.” It was a lie, but he was already fairly certain that what Ryuji had said was one too. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yusuke wearing a puzzled expression. “Makoto’s going on a date?” he asked slowly.

“Yeah. She and this guy had a thing a while back,” Ryuji gestured to Akira, “but that’s ancient history by now. Actually wait,” he turned to Akira, “didn’t  _ you _ have a date with cat-socks-guy a while back?”

Furthering the lie, apparently. “He took me to lunch, but he couldn’t hold a decent conversation. Plus he wasn’t really my type. I like guys who are taller than me.” He hoped he wasn’t being too obvious. 

Ryuji smirked.

Yusuke cleared his throat. “Let’s get back to work, shall we?”

* * *

“I recommend we wait until it heals fully before we continue,” Yusuke said as he taped the black plastic bandages to Ryuji’s back. “The wrapping need only stay on for four hours, but I suggest you leave it until morning.” He continued going over the various aftercare steps, Akira enjoying watching the casual movement of his body as he did so. “Shall we move over to the counter so you can pay for today's session and book the next one?” he asked once he was done.

Ryuji agreed, shrugging his shirt back on with a grimace and a crinkle of plastic before following Yusuke, Akira in tow. Once reaching it, the artist read out the total for the day, adding on, “It  _ is _ cash only, but there’s an ATM over there if you require,” he gestured to the machine a few meters away. 

With a  _ tsk _ , Ryuji walked over to it, subsequently leaving the other two boys alone together.

Both watched after him for a moment before Yusuke cleared his throat and turned to face Akira. “So,” there was a slight hitch to his usually languid voice, “If you’re available, SCAI The Bathhouse has an exhibition of He Xiangyu’s artwork opening this Friday and I’ve been looking for someone to join me.” A faint dusting of pink coloured his cheeks in gentle contrast to the blue tones of his hair.

Akira in turn could feel his cheeks heating. Of all the things he had expected to happen today, being asked on what was possibly a date was not one of them. He couldn’t say he recognized the artist’s name, but, “I- Yeah, sure. I didn’t have anything else planned.”

“Wonderful.” Yusuke smiled and Akira silently mused that he wished it wouldn’t be weird to take a picture. “I’ll text you the details later, I’m afraid I don’t have the pamphlet with me at the moment.”

“Cool, I- uh. I look forward to it.” He fiddled with his hair, hoping the movement could hide the redness he could feel on his face. 

“What’re we looking forward to?” Ryuji suddenly added himself into the conversation as he wandered back over, making Akira jump as he had apparently forgotten where they were. 

“I was just inviting Akira to an art exhibit this weekend,” he said matter-of-factly, pride distinct in his voice and making Akira suddenly wish he could turn invisible in order to avoid Ryuji’s amused scrutiny. 

“Oh man, that sounds fun! When are we meetin’ up?” He looked excitedly between both of them who wore matching expressions of concerned confusion before breaking out in laughter. “I’m just shittin’ you, I would be bored as all heck. You guys enjoy your date.”

Yusuke went wide-eyed. “A da-”

“Anyway, here’s the money, dude. So about the next session-” he detracted, Yusuke fumbling with both the cash handed to him and his words as Akira gave Ryuji a scandalized look that he hoped he could feel piercing into the side of his head.

* * *

Haru walked over after seeing a customer off, cheeks pink, and took a seat in the chair Akira had occupied until barely ten minutes ago. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to doing genital piercings,” she said, resting her chin in her hand as Yusuke hummed in response. “You seem oddly quiet today. Did you talk to Akira?”

Yusuke didn’t look up as he wiped down the table Ryuji had been on.”I think I may have a date with him on Friday.”

“WHAT?”

He turned to reorganize the equipment, facing completely away from Haru to avoid having her see his heated face. “I invited him to that Xiangyu exhibit that’s opening.”

“Wasn’t that the one you invited  _ me  _ to?”

His hands paused. “Oh. I, uh-”

“No, take him!” she said, then more quietly, “Maybe I’ll see if Ann wants to go… Anyway! Does that mean you talked to him?! I’m so proud of you, I was genuinely worried I’d have to blackmail you into it somehow!”

“Well, actually I didn’t really. It happened to come up in conversation.” 

“Oh?”

“Yes, it seems Makoto has a date with a classmate this weekend whom Akira had been asked out by previously.”

“I see…” 

Yusuke turned around, confused by her tone. “Do you think it was a lie?”

“I don’t know about a  _ lie _ ,” she smiled innocently, “but it does seem quite conveniently timed. I mean, Akira texted me at _ 3AM _ to ask me about you.”

“3AM? I had assumed it was no later than midnight…”

“ _ Yes,  _ 3AM,” she said obstinately. “And then the same topic that I assume he was so worried about just  _ happened  _ to come up? I just had someone’s junk in front of me and even this smells fishy compared to that.”

Yusuke wrinkled his nose at the analogy. 

“Sooo… What’re you planning to wear?”

Surprised, he finally met her gaze. “Oh. I hadn’t thought about that…”

“ _Well_ _obviously_ , as your best friend and closest confidant, you should invite me over after closing to help you pick.”

* * *

**Haru:** does makoto have a date with a classmate this weekend?  
**Ann:** huh? uhhh not that I know of  
**Ann:** why?  
**Haru:** i knew it  
**Ann:** is this some weird roundabout way of asking Makoto out?  
**Haru:** not at all  
**Haru:** on a related note though  
**Haru:** do you have any interest in contemporary art? ;)

* * *

Yusuke glanced down at his watch as he hurried out of the school building. He had a personal policy of always being ten minutes early to public meet-ups and this was  _ not _ ten minutes early. Of course  _ today _ of all days would be the one where his professor decided to go on a lengthy rant about acrylic versus oil paint... At this rate, he would be lucky to arrive ten minutes  _ late _ .

* * *

Akira pulled his phone out of his pocket for a third time, checked the time, the text conversation with Yusuke about when they were meeting, and then the signboard at the front of the line. Five minutes late wasn’t something to worry about, but anxiety kept nagging at him, telling him he somehow got their meeting place off or maybe he even came on the wrong day.

He was about to text Yusuke to ask if everything was okay when he noticed the very same man half-jogging towards him, looking frantic and out of breath. “I must apologize,” he panted once he’d reached him. “Class ran late. My professor has an  _ avid _ hatred of oil paints.”

Akira snorted out a laugh, moving to fix a piece of Yusuke’s hair that had fallen out of place before he could think better of it. Yusuke froze at the touch and Akira quickly retracted, muttering out a soft apology. “I didn’t wait long, plus there’s the line anyway. You look nice,” he smiled. And he  _ did _ , dressed in black slacks and a long brown jacket that accentuated his height, left unbuttoned to reveal a tri-coloured open collar shirt sectioned off distinctly into navy, then a lighter blue, then a colour similar to rust. He looked refined in a way that made Akira wish he had worn something better than his dark wash jeans and a black turtleneck. 

“As do you. You look marvelous,” Yusuke said despite this, his smile making Akira’s heart skip.

He covered his mouth with his hand, looking away as he tried to hide the smile that tugged at his own cheeks. “T-thanks. Um. It looks like we’re next.”

“Ah, so it seems,” Yusuke agreed, not seeming to notice how flustered his companion had become. “Shall we, then?”

The two paid their entrance and ventured in, Yusuke quickly moving to explain the themes and styles employed in the artist’s work while Akira listened, moving from one installation to the next. Akira quickly discovered he was thankful to have Yusuke there to guide him along, finding it difficult to understand on his own the pieces that ranged from what looked like a crushed tank to a room simply filled with human teeth painted gold. Yusuke, as well, seemed quite amused by the comments and reactions Akira voiced, laughing aloud when Akira had jumped back in shock after entering a room where a man was lying face down on the floor only for Yusuke to explain that this too was a statue, albeit a remarkably realistic one.

“I don’t think I’ve come to an art exhibition since high school,” he commented after a while, gazing at a wall of watercolour paintings that were all entirely yellow. “It was an artist Ann was a fan of. He was known for how varied his work was except, only a few weeks after, there was a scandal where he was revealed to have been plagiarizing his students’ work. Mada-something.”

“Madarame.”

“Yeah, that was it.” He looked closer at the painting he was standing in front of, trying to see if he could find anything particularly remarkable about it compared to the others.

“I was one of his pupils.” 

Wide-eyed, Akira looked up at Yusuke to see that he had cast his own eyes to his feet, a pained look on his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“Don’t let it bother you,” Yusuke cut in, folding his hands behind his back and walking over to a nearby corner occupied by a glass box filled with coal. “My name was kept out of papers due to my age, but I actually aided the detective who revealed him for what he was.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Akira recalled hearing about that detective. He had been a rising celebrity, celebrated for his brilliant success at such a young age, only to suddenly commit suicide just a few months after he had revealed that artist’s scam. “...Oh,” was all he could think to say.

“That’s in the past,” Yusuke said after a beat, turning a gentle smile at Akira, though he could tell there was pain behind it. “Let us continue.”

* * *

“Ryuji’s been complaining nonstop about not being able to lean against anything,” Akira said between sips of a latte. “It’s lucky he doesn’t have to sit in classes all day or I would probably be hearing even more of it than I already am.” Despite the cold words, his tone was bright and joking. 

“Just wait until after the colouring session, I’ve been told that that healing is even worse.” He had put down the sandwich he had been nibbling on to speak, switching to stirring a small silver spoon through the foam of his own latte. It had begun raining just as they had left the art gallery and the two had retreated to a nearby coffee shop, neither having umbrellas in their possession. There was a convenience store just down the street where they could buy some, but Yusuke had opted to avoid mentioning it and it seemed that Akira was either unaware or shared the same thought.

“Do you not have any, then? Tattoos, I mean. I would have thought most tattoo artists do.” Akira looked up at him through his eyelashes, cup at his lips and a small amount of steam frosting his glasses as he said this and Yusuke was very grateful for their umbrella situation. A few drops of moisture still clung to Akira’s hair like dew. He did his best to memorize the sight, hoping he could do it justice later on paper.

“Oh, I do, though just a small one.” He shifted in his chair, pulling up his pant leg and twisting a bit awkwardly in order to reveal the gentle curving lines on his ankle that formed the minimalist shape of a fox, a pair of tails curling around the limb. “I did it myself a short while after getting the job,” he explained.

“It’s beautiful,” Akira breathed and Yusuke felt his cheeks heat slightly, dropping the pant leg again.

“What about yourself?” 

“Tattoos? Oh, no, I’m afraid of needles.” Akira’s eyes drew upward as if considering something. “But I’ve been thinking it might be nice to get one eventually. Watching you work on Ryuji has made me a bit more comfortable with the idea, I think. Do you have any suggestions?”

Yusuke blinked in surprise. What would look good on Akira? He studied the figure in front of him, searching his mind for ideas. “Something in only black ink,” he thought aloud. “You look lovely in monochrome, though some red might look good as well,” he added, thinking of the lovely shade his face took when he blushed.

Akira hummed. “I think if I do get anything, I want you to be the one to do it.” He smiled and Yusuke felt like he had been stabbed in the heart in the best way possible.

He watched as Akira took a slow draw of coffee, seemingly trying to hide the smirk on his face. When he lowered the cup again, there was a thin line of foam across his upper lip and Yusuke reached a hand forward, not thinking about the gesture until it was already in motion as he brushed a thumb across Akira’s lip.

They both froze, gazes met and Yusuke’s hand still for a moment before he came to his senses and drew it back, trying not to seem hasty about the gesture. “M-my apologies…” he stuttered. Such forward acts were unlike him and Akira’s eyes were still wide and fixed on him.

Akira seemed to collect himself, looking back down to the offending drink as his cheeks took that same red hue Yusuke had been pondering on barely a minute earlier. “It’s okay,” he said in a small voice.

“Maybe the tattoo should be of a thief,” Yusuke muttered to himself, not elaborating as Akira gave him a questioning look that it was because this boy had stolen his heart.

* * *

**Akira:** Do you want to come over tomorrow?  
**Akira:** We could study again  
**Akira:** Or watch a movie  
**Akira:** I have work in the afternoon so it wouldn’t be until later  
**Akira:** But I could bring us curry  
**Akira:** Unless you have work?

Yusuke stared at the series of texts, pencil loose in his hand as it hovered over his sketchbook. He and Akira had only parted ways a few hours ago and that memory of touching his lip was still fresh in his mind.

[I have the day off. A movie sounds agreeable.] he texted back, considering his own small collection that was mostly comprised of historical fiction and arthouse films. Which would Akira likely enjoy the most? Or did Akira already have something in mind? Yusuke would be okay with anything so long as he could watch it with him.

He dropped his head loudly onto his desk, earning a confused look from his roommate who was playing some fighting game on his laptop, loudly talking into a microphone about needing healing.

Yusuke could relate. This boy was going to be the death of him.

* * *

It was a little after seven the next evening when there was a knock on Akira’s door, surprising him due to the general policy of no one ever knocking. He had texted Yusuke an hour earlier, letting him know that he had gotten off work and had successfully secured enough curry for the both of them. “It’s open!” he called, not getting up from the floor where he was wiggling a toy for Morgana, the cat enraptured by the feathery movement.

He watched as Yusuke opened the door, eyes scanning around the room for a moment before falling on him, a smile immediately appearing as he did so. “Hello,” he said in a small voice, walking over in a few long strides and seeming to consider the floor for a moment before folding himself into a sitting position on the other side of Morgana. “I wasn’t sure if you had a particular movie in mind,” he explained, unzipping the small backpack he had had slung over one shoulder, “so I brought a few I had just in case.” 

“I didn’t, I was thinking we would just find something on Netflix.” He smiled at Yusuke’s thoughtfulness, though as he looked at the small collection of DVDs he couldn’t say any were familiar. “Which do you suggest?” He let out a small hiss as Morgana bit his hand, apparently bored with the toy. 

Yusuke reached forward to ruffle the cat’s ears, raising his hand to wiggle his fingers tauntingly in the air once he had his attention. “Well,” he picked out two of the DVDs with his free hand, displaying them in turn as he spoke, “This one has very intriguing use of lighting and colour, while this one employs a number of innovative camera techniques.”

Akira laughed lightly, realizing he was more surprised than he really should have been that Yusuke was more focused on the artistic merit of the films than their actual plots. “How about the second one, then? I don’t think I’ve seen it before.” Granted he was pretty sure he hadn’t seen either. Yusuke seemed to hesitate for a breath but gave his nod of approval, prompting Akira to pick up the box and move to set up the laptop he used in lieu of a DVD player. “Oh,” he remembered, twisting to look back to where Yusuke was enraptured by the cat, “Do you want the curry now or should we leave it for later?”

“I am feeling a bit peckish, now that you mention it.”

He nodded, leaving the opening trailers to play as he went to grab the two to-go containers from the fridge. “I must say,” Yusuke commented as he watched, Morgana now latched onto his arm, “I find the combination of coffee and curry Leblanc serves to be quite fascinating.” 

“Sojiro swears by it.” He popped the two containers in the microwave, one on top of the other, and punched in the time that he knew yielded the best results after working at the cafe for several years now.

“Sojiro was the one whom Futaba got the cookie recipe from, was he not? I wasn’t aware he was your boss.”

“Yeah, he’s Futaba’s dad. ...I owe him a lot,” he skirted the topic, unsure of if he wanted to go into the whole “I was arrested on a false charge and ended up living in Leblanc’s attic for a year” tragic backstory with Yusuke quite yet.

Yusuke hummed in response, retracting his hand with a small “ouch!” as Morgana bit down on his finger. He didn’t push the subject, for which Akira was grateful. 

With the food heated, the two moved to sit on the couch, Morgana forgotten for no more than a minute before he jumped up to curl himself into a ball on Akira’s lap. There was about a foot of space left between the boys which he found himself musing over as the opening scene played, so similar yet so different from the space he and Makoto had for so long maintained. 

It was about halfway through the movie, with the empty plates sitting forgotten on the coffee table, that Akira felt a weight hit his shoulder softly and looked over to find that Yusuke had nodded off. His bangs had fallen over his eyes, lips slightly partly as he breathed slow, steady breaths. Slowly, so as not to wake him, Akira moved his arm so that it rested along the back of the couch, smoothing circles into Yusuke’s upper arm as he guided the boy into a more comfortable position against him. 

He could allow himself this much, just for a little while.

* * *

Yusuke found himself waking genially to the scent of coffee and curry spices, nuzzling into the soft crook he found himself in. Whatever he was leaning against was warm and soft. Pleasant. There was a faint feeling of movement against his arm and he suddenly recalled that he had been watching a movie with Akira. Reluctantly, he retracted himself and took in his surroundings, noting that the ending credits were playing on the TV. The softness he had been leaning against had been Akira. Oh goodness.

“Good morning,” Akira said with a smile. His arm was stretched out across the back of the couch. Was that the movement Yusuke had felt?

“...Yes, to you as well… Did I fall asleep?” he asked, still trying to piece together exactly what had happened. He couldn’t remember  _ when _ he had fallen asleep.

“About halfway through, yeah.”

He blinked. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

Akira folded the arm that had been behind Yusuke, running his hand through his hair in what seemed to be a nervous gesture. “You seemed comfortable. Sorry, should I have?”

“I- No, that’s alright.” He rubbed a hand against one eye, sleep still tugging at them. “Did you enjoy the movie?”

“I did!” Akira turned his gaze to the screen where the credits seemed to be reaching their end. “It was interesting. I managed to figure out the first twist, but second caught me completely off guard, and you were definitely right about the cameraing.”

“I’m glad. An old boyfriend took me to a showing of it a while back and I liked it so much I ended up buying a copy,” he explained, then in a tighter voice, “He said the same thing when we watched it, actually.” He felt himself stiffen. He had forgotten about that. 

Akira nodded slowly then stood, picking up the long-forgotten plates and carrying them to the kitchen sink. “Do you want anything to drink?”

It took a moment for Yusuke to reply, and in the same moment he found himself standing and ejecting the DVD as if on autopilot. “No, that’s fine. Actually, I-” He started gathering his things more quickly than was strictly necessary. He gulped, not looking at Akira as he continued, “I apologize for my rudeness, especially what with falling asleep and all, but I should be heading back to my dorm. The train ride is quite lengthy and my roommate complains when I get home too late.” It felt like an excuse. It  _ was _ an excuse. Perhaps it was simply the movie dredging up bad memories, but the knowledge that he and Akira’s relationship seemed to be progressing so quickly suddenly scared him. 

“You could stay here for the night.”

He looked up at the unexpected suggestion, meeting Akira’s gaze and finding it almost pleading. 

Akira didn’t want him to leave.

_ He _ didn’t want to leave.

He shook his head. “No, not tonight. I’m sorry.” He picked up his bag and moved to the door perhaps a bit too fast. 

Akira followed, a worried expression on his face. “Yusuke? I’m sorry, did I do something?”

No, of course not. Akira had been nothing but lovely to him. This was entirely himself. “It’s nothing, I promise. I just- have something on my mind,” he explained, giving a smile that he hoped looked more genuine than it felt.

“Can I see you again?”

There was that pleading gaze again. Oh, how Yusuke wanted to erase any doubts that Akira had. In any romance movie, he was sure, he would be whisking him off his feet, assuring him that everything was perfect in a grand display of affection. But he couldn’t do that. He wasn’t a movie character, he was a stereotypical tortured artist running out on a boy whom he was too afraid to explain things to properly. “I’ll see about stopping by Leblanc after my next shift,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

* * *

**Akira:** Can I ask you for relationship advice?  
**Makoto:** This is unexpected, but yes.  
**Akira:** Sorry  
**Akira:** I feel like I’ve bothered Ryuji too much and you’re my next go to  
**Makoto:** I’m honored.  
**Makoto:** Though your phrasing makes it sound a bit like Ryuji’s the one you’re having relationship troubles with.  
**Akira:** ...  
**Akira:** What does it mean when someone brings up an ex  
**Akira:** And then immediately leaves like the building’s caught fire  
**Makoto:** I’m assuming this is about Yusuke?  
**Makoto:** I’ll take your lack of a response as a yes.  
**Makoto:** I don’t know how far you guys have gotten, but an ex being mentioned likely brought up a bad memory.  
**Makoto:** He probably just got nervous.  
**Makoto:** Please tell me you’ll actually talk to him this time instead of leaving Ryuji to incite it.  
**Akira:** Does he just share my problems with everyone?  
**Makoto:** Yes.  
**Makoto:** Also do you really think I would ask out someone who wears cat socks?  
**Akira:** I wear cat socks  
**Makoto:** Fair point.

* * *

**Akira:** Can we talk about what happened earlier?

Akira snuck a peek at his phone during a short lull in the mid-morning rush, finding the text he had sent last night still unanswered. Quickly typing out [I’m on shift this morning. On the house if you want it] in hopes of enticing Yusuke, he slipped it back into his pocket with a sigh that quickly turned into a “Good morning, what can I get for you today, sir?” Makoto could tell him to make an effort towards better communication all she wanted, but it unfortunately was a two way street that Yusuke seemed to be stalled on. 

He kept running his mind over the events of the previous night, wondering what he could have done differently. 

Picked the other movie.

Woken Yusuke up.

Said  _ something _ when the topic of the ex-boyfriend was brought up.

Confessed to him. Kissed him. Not played this damn game of “who’s going to say something first.”

Akira sighed. He wasn’t blind, he had been in relationships before. Well, one. Two if you counted the girl he’d dated for a week in middle school. But he knew how they worked. He could  _ tell  _ that Yusuke seemed to reciprocate his feelings, knew how to read the signs well enough that he could tell it wasn’t just his own hopeful delusions. Yet for some reason, he was being stubborn and hesitant. For some reason, he refused to say anything. 

Lost in thought, he jostled the milk he was steaming for a latte, the foam bubbling up too quickly and burning his hands. Great. He must have been paying less attention than he thought, the milk hotter than it should have been. “Futaba!” he called, noting that she was handing another customer their drink and was therefore not otherwise engaged, “Sorry, can you finish this latte for me?” He was already making quick strides to the sink near the back to ice his hands as he spoke.

“Sure thing,” she called back, quickly followed by, “Oh, hey Inari!”

“Inari?” The unexpected familiarity of the responding voice almost made him trip.

“Yeah, like inarizushi, ‘cause of the fox tattoo. I noticed it during the study group,” she stated matter of factly. “Are you here to flirt with Akira?”

“I-”

“He just ran to the back, I think he burned his hand. Or he’s avoiding you. Could be both.”

Okay, his hands were sufficiently iced. “I burned my hands,” he confirmed crossly, hurrying to where the two were conversing and shooting Futaba an annoyed look before turning to Yusuke with a much softer expression. “I’m glad to see you.”

“I, uh. I saw your text,” he explained, gesturing in the general direction of his pocket where his phone presumably was. “Free coffee is a difficult offer to turn down...”

“Bribing boys with coffee now?” the small girl beside him quipped.

“Futaba, didn’t I ask you to finish a latte?”

“Fine, fine.” She stalked away to the espresso machine, leaving them with a small amount of privacy.

“I hope you saw my other text too...?” he asked, lowering his voice.

Yusuke nodded slowly. 

Akira tucked his hands into his pockets, glancing back at Futaba and noticing she seemed to be paying far more attention to them than the drink. “My break should be in a half hour as long as the rush doesn’t pick up again. Can we talk then?”

Again, Yusuke nodded. 

It felt like pulling teeth. “So,” he brightened his tone, hoping it might help diffuse the mood a bit. “What kind of coffee should I make you?”

* * *

Yusuke sat down at one of the tables with a large Americano, twisting his bag around to his front so he could pull out a pencil as well as his sketchbook, which was filled with far more drawings of Akira than cared to admit. For a change of pace, as well as so that Akira would not walk over to see a sketch of himself, he began on the first few lines of Futaba’s profile as she made another drink. 

He could remember distinctly one point in the past when his sketchbook had also contained a series of one person’s likeness, and his brain tacked that onto the list it had unwittingly been compiling of the similarities between Akira and that boy.

They weren’t the same person, he told himself again and again.

Akira was kind. He was soft and considerate and always carried with him the scent of coffee. 

But hadn’t his ex seemed the same? Minus the coffee, of course. He had saved him from that situation, done his best to guide Yusuke through the art block and emotional turmoil that had followed, only to change in such a horrible way. Only for Yusuke to fail in his meager attempts to help.

He had had no idea then, how was he to have any now?

He refocused himself on his sketch only to realize that the drawing of Futaba had morphed into one of his ex without him realizing it, expression hard and accusatory. Hurriedly, he ripped the page from the book as if it would leech into the rest, as if it would sully the many Akiras. 

They weren’t the same person.

He had to put his trust in him. Had to at least try if he wanted this to work, and  _ oh _ how he did.

“Is that me?” Akira’s voice suddenly came from just behind him and he jumped, swivelling in his seat to see that the barista was looking over his shoulder at the sketchbook. He felt like his heart was going to stop for a moment, thinking of who he had just drawn, before realizing that the page under the one he had torn out held two sketches of Akira. One was caught in a moment of laughter while the other featured that horrible pained expression he had worn last night as Yusuke had insisted on leaving.

“Y-yes, it is,” he said, nervously tucking his hair behind his ear as he watched Akira take a seat in the chair across the small table from him. He hastily folded the sketchbook closed, asking as he did so, “Are you on break already?”

“Yeah, it’s been half an hour, hasn’t it?” Akira looked down at a thin wristwatch as Yusuke realized he’d completely lost track of time. “So. I don’t want to try to push the subject,” Akira began softly, looking down for a moment before fixing his eyes on Yusuke with an air of determination, “but can we talk about what happened last night?”

He fiddled with the edge of the sketchbook in front of him, looking at it instead of meeting Akira’s gaze. “Yes,” he coaxed himself into agreeing, “I think we should.” He took a deep breath, then began reciting a script he had gone over in his mind at least half a dozen times the night before as sleep had failed to take him. “At the art gallery, the topic of Madarame came up and I mentioned that I, as his pupil, had worked with a detective to expose his plagiarism. That detective and I were… romantically involved.” 

He glanced up at Akira, watching as his expression changed from one of concern to dawning realization. 

“I assume you know what happened to Goro. Who in the city doesn’t? He was a local celebrity by the time he killed himself,” he laughed humorlessly before continuing, voice strained. “We were still together up until he did it, but he… We weren’t happy. There were a lot of fights. Both of us were under a lot of stress. He wasn’t… wasn’t the same person I had fallen in love with by that point. He wasn’t a good person, and there was…” he covered his mouth with his hand for a moment before returning it to the sketchbook where he had started tearing the corner of a page into small pieces. “There was a part of me that was glad he was dead.”

A hand reached over, grasping his fingers in what seemed to be an attempt to both comfort him and halt his assault on the paper. He met Akira’s gaze and watched as the boy raised his other hand, leaning forward slightly to gently wipe the tears off Yusuke’s cheeks. He hadn’t even realized he had started crying. 

With a gulp and a squeeze of the hand that still held his, he continued. “There’s a lot about you that reminds me of him. Not bad things,” he clarified, “but things like mannerisms and interests. I didn’t realize it until last night, not fully at least, and I ended up panicking. I really am sorry, I shouldn’t have just run out on you like that.”

“No, I understand. You don’t have to apologize,” Akira said gently. “Look, Yusuke. I really like you. Romantically, I mean, though I do of course like you in general.” Yusuke smiled a little, embarrassed that this was apparently turning into their confession. “And if I’m right, you seem to like me too…?”

“Romantically,” Yusuke affirmed, a hint of humor to his voice that he wouldn’t have expected just a moment earlier.

“Right.” Akira fiddled with a piece of his hair to hide his smile, a habit that Yusuke found he had become quite fond on. “But I don’t want to make you feel like you have to have any sort of relationship with me that you’re not comfortable with. If you need time or if you want us to just be friends, I’m fine with it.”

Akira squeezed his hand in his and, before he could second guess himself, Yusuke found himself leaning forward, standing in his seat slightly so that he could reach. And then he was kissing Akira, and it tasted like coffee and tears. 

He lingered for a moment before pulling away, finding Akira wide-eyed and red-faced. “Um. Wow. I can’t say that  _ that’s  _ what I expected out of this conversation. 

Yusuke smiled fondly, feeling it fully reach his eyes. “I want to try this,” he said in answer to Akira’s earlier comment. “I  _ would _ like to take it slowly, though.”

Akira nodded, his own smile bashful. “Of course.” 

“You two dorks are adorable and all, but if you’re finished with your heart-to-heart, Akira’s break ended ten minutes ago,” Futaba’s voice suddenly cut in and Yusuke looked towards the counter to see her tapping on her phone. He blushed, having forgotten where they were.

“I should actually really be going as well,” he spoke up, glancing at the clock on the wall. “I told Haru I would be running late, but I do have work today. This ended up going longer than I expected...” he said with a smile, glancing back at Akira.

Akira nodded, squeezing his hand once more and offering a “good luck at work” before returning behind the counter.

A few blocks away from the tattoo parlor, Yusuke’s phone pinged. Somehow, despite having no memory of exchanging contact information with her, Futaba’s name grinned at him from the screen. He opened the text to find she had sent him an attachment without comment: a candid photo of his and Akira’s kiss. 

He blushed, but saved it to his phone nonetheless.

* * *

**Akira:** My phone is blowing up  
**Akira:** Did you seriously send that picture to EVERYONE?  
**Futaba:** everyone in our immediate friend group yes  
**Futaba:** also sojiro  
**Futaba:** he says to congratulate you but tell you not to do that kind of stuff on shift  
**Futaba:** ryuji said i should have gotten a video  
**Futaba:** makoto has been yell-texting me about respecting your privacy for the last two hours  
**Futaba:** also i sent it to inari  
**Akira:** When did he give you his number???  
**Futaba:** he didn’t  
**Akira:** Futaba.  
**Futaba:** he saved the picture  
**Akira:** How do you know that?????  
**Futaba:** trade secret

* * *

“This is different from before.”

Yusuke looked up from switching between blue and red ink, Ryuji whimpering on the table in front of him, to see Akira tapping one of the pictures on the wall. It was the same one he had noticed him looking at during Ryuji’s earlier session, yet at the same time different. He smiled, moving back to continue his work. “It’s a painting I did while Goro and I were together,” he explained. “I had a sudden burst of inspiration regarding it last week and managed to find the old canvas.”

The swirling eye in the center was gone, now replaced with a splash of white and yellow paint that pulled towards the edges, light illuminating the darkness.

Desire together with hope.

“I love it,” Akira said and Yusuke could hear the smile in his voice. “Oh, by the way,” his voiced moved as he spoke, presumably walking back to his seat, “I found a copy of Ringu 0 at the movie rental place the other day. Do you want to come over later to watch it?” They had been on a horror movie kick for the past two weeks, having watched their way through Noroi, One Missed Call, and all of the Ju-On series they could find. Most recently, they had watched the first two Ringu movies and Yusuke had commented that he was dying to find out what happened in the last one.

He was about to agree when Ryuji spoke up, voice strained, “Can I join you guys? I haven’t seen that one yet.”

“Of course,” Akira said, Yusuke nodding as well.

“Cool, if we stop at my place we can also grab my copy of Sadako vs Kayako. Oh, I’ll sleep on the couch. I doubt I’ll manage to get much sleep anyway.” His statement was followed by a well timed hiss of pain as Yusuke filled a spot he noticed he had missed on Ryuji’s spine.

“That sounds agreeable. That way we’ll also be able to help you with taking the bandages off tomorrow morning.”

“Nice. I kept bugging Ann to help me last time and she said she never wants to have to rub cream on my back again. You wanna do it this time, Akira?”

“Can’t you do it yourself?” There was a grimace in Akira’s voice.

“Not that flexible, dude.”

“Do you not have a girlfriend you could ask?” Yusuke teased, knowing the answer was no. 

“Yeah, sorry I’m not as good at the whole romance thing as you two apparently are.”

Yusuke smiled, recalling how chaotic the events of he and Akira properly getting together had been. “The trick is to show up unannounced at their work and then start crying.”

“ _ Dude. _ ”

“Worked for us,” Akira agreed.

“Yeah, but you guys are weird.”

“Says the one getting a skeleton pirate tattooed across his back.”

“Hey, this is  _ cool. _ ”

“It looks good at least, but I think that’s more thanks to Yusuke than you.”

“Yeah yeah, favour your boyfriend over your best friend.”

“Aw, you know I love you too.”

“Sure.”

“Do you want me to cuddle  _ you _ during the movie as well?”

“I’ll take a lovingly popped bowl of popcorn.”

Yusuke chuckled at their banter, then announced triumphantly, “Done!”

“Woah, dude, seriously?”

“Yes, just let me bandage it and you’re good to go,” he smiled, pleased with his work. It looked even better on skin than it had on paper, in his opinion. 

A few minutes later, Ryuji had paid and they were all saying their goodbyes, Yusuke reluctant to see Akira go but knowing he was still on shift for another few hours in case anyone came in looking for a sudden quick flash tattoo. “I’ll see you at home later,” Akira said, leaning over the glass counter to press a soft kiss to Yusuke’s lips. When he pulled away, he was wearing a crinkle-eyed smile that Yusuke was sure he mirrored. 

He could get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't find a place to bring it up in the actual text, but Yusuke's shirt during the art gallery scene is meant to reference Mark Rothko's painting No.61 (Blue and Rust). As well, I chose He Xiangyu as the artist for the exhibition purely based on the fact that there WAS a recent exhibition of his art at SCAI which was entitled "Save the Date" and I thought it was cute, I actually know next to nothing about contemporary art lmao
> 
> This ended up MUCH longer than I expected, but I had a lot of fun with it. Especially Futaba, I'm definitely going to be looking for more excuses to write her in the future. I have hopes to do a prequel to this focusing on Yusuke and Akechi's past relationship, as well as I'd like to also possibly do a spin-off showing what's going on between Ann and Haru because yes there is something going on.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading! Feel free to hmu on Tumblr or Twitter (bizarrequazar)
> 
> EDIT: 4nimenut on Tumblr did some [beautiful art](http://4nimenut.tumblr.com/post/163406312338/doodles-loosely-based-on-wax-nostalgic-by) based off this fic (/^▽^)/


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